


The acing on the cake

by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Human, Asexual Raphael Santiago, Bisexual Isabelle Lightwood, F/F, First Meetings, Lesbian Clary Fray, M/M, Pansexual Simon Lewis, Pre-Relationship, Pride, Puns & Word Play, awkward Simon, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 06:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11121522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaiseYourVoice/pseuds/mckvch
Summary: “We can go greet her and her friends, sure,” Raphael agreed and it wasn’t like they had some kind of schedule for today. He had only seen Isabelle a handful of times and barely spoken to her but she had seemed nice enough.“They also sell these shirts, maybe they’ll have one suitable for you as well,” Magnus said with a wink before reaching for his phone, probably to send a message to find out where exactly the booth was located because just searching for it would probably not get them very far.Raphael bit back a comment about how he certainly did not want one of these shirts. He had already rolled his eyes at Magnus when he had shown up with the white shirt, sleeves cut off messily and low enough to reveal part of his chest and side, the front declaringAin’t no lie Baby Bi Bi Biand of course the “bi” was written with the colours of the bisexual flag. He didn’t exactly share Magnus’s humour when it came to stupid puns, especially not when they involved some boygroup reference, so Raphael could definitely live without having to wear something like this.





	The acing on the cake

**Author's Note:**

> **♥ Happy Pride Month ♥**

[ ](http://fangtasticsaphael.tumblr.com/post/161546401272)

  


“Would you mind if we go and say hi to Isabelle?” Magnus asked while grabbing Raphael’s hand to prevent the shorter boy from getting lost in the huge crowd of colourful people surrounding them.

“You mean the human tree’s Isabelle?” He asked back and his small frown made room for a mischievous little smirk when his best friend groaned and squeezed his hand a little too tightly before intertwining their fingers, clearly not intending to let go anytime soon. Raphael could feel the cool metal of Magnus’s rings press into his skin and he knew they would probably leave short-lasting imprints.

“Stop calling him that but, yes, _Alexander_ ’s Isabelle is the one I’m talking about. She’s here with her girlfriend and I think a few others. Alexander mentioned they wanted to make a small booth to sell stuff and offer doing people’s make-up,” Magnus explained and smiled fondly, “the proceeds go to a charity that helps lgbtq+ youths.”

Raphael had already wondered why they would make a booth at a pride parade but this would make sense, of course. He had never been to a pride before but this year Magnus had finally convinced him for pride month and had dragged him along today. It was a little...overwhelming if he was being honest. Raphael wasn’t exactly a fan of huge crowds but it was kind of impossible not to get swept away in the overall cheerful mood - everything was loud, colourful and diverse. Wherever he looked, he spotted people who kissed their (same-sex) partners with just as much pride as they wore the colours of their sexuality for everyone to see.

“We can go greet her and her friends, sure,” Raphael agreed and it wasn’t like they had some kind of schedule for today. He had only seen Isabelle a handful of times and barely spoken to her but she had seemed nice enough.

“They also sell these shirts, maybe they’ll have one suitable for you as well,” Magnus said with a wink before reaching for his phone, probably to send a message to find out where exactly the booth was located because just searching for it would probably not get them very far.

Raphael bit back a comment about how he certainly did not want one of these shirts. He had already rolled his eyes at Magnus when he had shown up with the white shirt, sleeves cut off messily and low enough to reveal part of his chest and side, the front declaring _Ain’t no lie Baby Bi Bi Bi_ and of course the “bi” was written with the colours of the bisexual flag. He didn’t exactly share Magnus’s humour when it came to stupid puns, especially not when they involved some boygroup reference, so Raphael could definitely live without having to wear something like this.

It didn’t take long for Magnus to get a reply to his message and he gently tugged Raphael along towards their destination, not one letting go of his hand. Raphael inhaled a breath of relief when the crowd finally thinned out a little and they crossed a patch of grass, walking up to a sign that informed about pride pun shirts and simple makeup for little money that would go to a charity like Magnus had mentioned before.

“That’s what they call a booth nowadays? It’s just a sign and people on blankets,” Raphael commented with a raised eyebrow, jumping slightly when Magnus’s free hand pinched his cheek.

“Be nice, pumpkin!” Magnus scolded and then his name was being called by none other than Isabelle Lightwood, his boyfriend’s younger sister, and a beaming smile appeared on his lips. Raphael stumbled a little when, instead of letting go of his hand, his best friend dragged him along at a faster pace. He only managed to snatch his hand back when Magnus wrapped his arms around the tall, dark-haired woman that looked very similar to her brother in several ways. Beauty definitely ran in the Lightwood family, it seemed.

“Raphael, hey, nice to see you here as well,” Isabelle greeted him after receiving a few cheek kisses from Magnus whose arm was now curled around her hip.

“Likewise, I guess,” Raphael replied, feeling terribly awkward all of a sudden because he had never been good at social interactions with people he didn’t or barely knew. Magnus only rolled his eyes at the probably slightly rude reply but Isabelle didn’t seem to mind it at all.

“Come on, Magnus, you clearly need some more makeup.”

“I’m already wearing eyeshadow in my colours,” Magnus pointed out and he did - his eyelids sparkled in the colours of the bisexual flag and he had tried to talk Raphael into doing the same for him but there was no way in hell Raphael would ever wear glittery eyeshadow. He had worn black eyeshadow a few times - courtesy to Magnus, obviously - and he really wasn’t a fan of makeup in general, to be quite honest. It just wasn’t his thing.

“There can never be enough make up for pride,” Isabelle grinned and ushered Magnus towards the blankets that were spread out on the grass, towards a beaming redhead with a shirt that read _Yes Homo_. Apparently, everyone here was wearing such a pun shirt today, with Izzy wearing a _Both? Both. Both is good._ shirt that was tied into a knot at her side to make it into more of a belly top.

Raphael also spotted a boy on the blanket next to the redhead; with dark-rimmed glasses, the pansexual flag painted on both cheeks and a matching shirt that read _I’m pansexual - that means I get anxious around people regardless of gender_. He was currently distracted sorting through a pile of shirts with more silly puns and absently pushed a few unruly darks locks away from his forehead, a movement that Raphael’s eyes followed automatically before examining the boy’s admittedly gorgeous features, only to get his thoughts interrupted by Magnus calling his name.

“Hey, how about you ask Samuel over there if he has a fitting shirt for you as well?” His best friend suggested and Raphael frowned a little, briefly looking back at the boy that Magnus was clearly referring to, before facing the other again.

“I don’t want such a stupid shirt,” he complained with a grimace and he was more than fine with his grey henley, thank you very much!

“Hey, Savannah, could you help my best friend here pick something to make him a little more presentable for this occasion?” Magnus turned his attention towards the boy with glasses after rolling his eyes at Raphael who was now admittedly confused what was going on with the changing names.

“Is there any chance I can get you to stop calling me wrong names?” The boy sighed and looked up from the shirts he was sorting through, frowning at Magnus in obvious annoyance before his gaze followed the gesture towards Raphael and his eyes seemed to grow a little bit bigger behind his glasses. “Oh, hey. Hi. I’m Lewis. Simon. Simon Lewis, that’s the right order!”

Raphael raised an eyebrow at the suddenly stuttering, blushing boy while Magnus snickered in the background and turned his attention back to Isabelle’s girlfriend, Clary, who started to paint the bisexual flag on Magnus’s left cheek with practiced ease.

“I’m Raphael,” he finally introduced himself and when Simon awkwardly patted the blanket next to him, silently offering him to sit down as well, Raphael hesitated for a moment before he gave in and sank down into a sitting position next to the weird guy.

“Raphael, that’s a nice name. It’s nice to meet you,” Simon said, fiddling with one of the shirts piled up in front of him and clearing his throat, “what do you think of the pride? Nice, huh? … I swear my vocabulary isn’t limited to just _nice_!”

The other flailed a little, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose through the movements and were barely stopped by the tip of his nose, his cheeks gaining an even rosier colour now and Raphael couldn’t help but feel _fascinated_ by this dorky boy who seemed even more socially inept than himself. While Raphael was unable to really come up with something useful to say and kept silent, Simon seemed to just blurt out whatever came to his mind to avoid silence.

“The shirt’s pretty accurate, huh?” Raphael heard himself ask, pointing towards Simon’s chest who looked confused for a split second before he seemed to remember what was written on his shirt and his lips curled into a sheepish little grin.

“Very much, yeah,” he admitted with a chuckle, pushing his glasses back to where they belonged, “so...how about a shirt?”

“I’d rather not wear a shirt with a terrible pun.”

“Oh, come on, puns are amazing! Tell me your sexuality and I’m sure we will have at least one shirt that’ll appeal to you.” Simon patted the pile of shirts in front of him and smiled hopefully at Raphael who really wanted to disagree and tell the boy he was wasting his time here but he couldn’t bring himself to. Simon big brown eyes reminded of that of a cute little puppy and even Raphael couldn’t say no to that.

“Sure, if you even have it.”

“Try me.”

“Ace,” Raphael said after the briefest hesitation and even though he was generally okay with his sexuality by now, mostly thanks to Magnus, he still felt a little uncomfortable admitting it in front of a stranger.

“Of course, we have ace shirts - are you kidding me?” Simon actually looked offended and then started rifling through the pile of shirts, making a mess of them again, tugging a few free and basically shoved them into Raphael’s face. “See? Ace shirts! Multiple, one more awesome than the other.”

Raphael huffed softly and even if he really didn’t care about wearing such a dumb shirt, it was still kind of nice to know his sexuality hadn’t been forgotten and that Simon didn’t even hesitate a second after hearing about it, clearly not judging him or invalidating his sexuality.

“I really like this one,” the other boy mentioned, lifting a black shirt with the text _My sexual preference is NOPE_ before he tugged another one free that read _Asexual pirate is not interested in your booty_. “But you seem like someone who might appreciate something more like this one.”

The next shirt had Raphael raise his eyebrows and some puns were definitely almost painful. “ _I’m the acing on the cake_ , seriously?! You think that’s something I would appreciate? You’re really bad at reading people, aren’t you?”

“Come on, this is kind of cute. It even has a piece of cake in the ace colours on it,” Simon pointed out as if Raphael might have overlooked the artwork on the purple coloured shirt. The other boy scrunched up his nose before he shrugged and Raphael expected him to give up but Simon actually dug up yet another shirt. This one was black again and it simply had _NAH_ in the colours written across the chest.

“I’m not that bad at reading people. You’d prefer something like this, am I right? Short and to the point.”

Raphael pressed his lips together and he had to admit that this was actually one he would be okay with wearing. He was reluctant to voice this thought out loud, though, because he had been so adamant about these kind of shirts not being his thing before. Unfortunately, the grin slowly spreading on Simon’s lips told him the other boy was seeing right through the meaning behind his silence.

“Come on, try it on? Please??” Simon blinked his eyes slowly, smiling sweetly at him and it was absolutely ridiculous how it made Raphael want to give in. He had never really thought of anyone as _cute_ before, it was a word to describe animals and kids, but this boy was admittedly adorable and it was as confusing as it was distracting.

He glanced in Magnus’s direction who was already done and currently engrossed in an animated chat with Izzy and Clary, the latter sitting in between her girlfriend’s legs by now and chuckling whenever Isabelle pressed a soft kiss to her cheek or neck. It was always a little bit weird and awkward for him to watch other people be affectionate in such a way - sure, he himself was affectionate with his family and with Magnus as well but, of course, that stemmed from a very different kind of love.

Impulsively, Raphael decided to just go along with Simon’s request and he almost grinned when the other’s eyes widened because he tugged his henley over his head without warning. He noticed how Simon’s eyes briefly travelled across his now exposed chest and, usually, Raphael would feel terribly uncomfortable about being examined by a stranger like this but the expression in the other boy’s eyes reminded more of appreciation than lust.

He reached for the shirt still in Simon’s grasp, their fingers accidentally brushing and the touch snapping the other back to reality, and pulled the shirt over his head. It was a little tight around the chest but it still fit comfortably enough and Simon’s bright smile alone was already worth trying it on.

“Perfect!” Simon exclaimed happily and then reached for the palette of face paint next to Clary and a small brush before looking back at Raphael with a hopeful expression in his puppy eyes. “May I?”

“You want to paint my face?”

“Your cheek, yes. Just one, okay?” The other boy sounded almost pleading and Raphael had absolutely no idea why it felt impossible to say no to this guy but maybe it was just the fact that he had no reason to decline because today was seriously not the day to be a spoilsport. Most people today were colourful and some looked rather ridiculous, there was no reason to be awkward about this.

“Just one!” Raphael replied with a long-suffering sigh and tilted his head a little, offering Simon his right cheek as a canvas for the flag he was going to paint. He didn’t expect the tingly feeling in his skin that came with Simon’s gentle fingers curling around his chin to hold his head in place. Raphael felt his heart speed up the tiniest bit, especially when the other boy leant a little bit closer to brush the first streak of colour onto his skin.

“You have incredibly long and thick lashes,” Simon muttered while he was moving the brush across his cheek again and Raphael felt his face heat up a little, hopefully not enough to actually be visible. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as gorgeous as you.”

Raphael turned his head around to properly look at the other boy, causing the brush in Simon’s hand to bump against his nose because the other wasn’t able to pull away his hand quickly enough.

“Uh, sorry. Just...forget what I said. I have no brain to mouth filter sometimes,” Simon stuttered quickly, his cheeks gaining so much colour that the pink stripes of the pansexual flags on his cheeks were barely visible anymore, despite being painted on in quite a vibrant colour. “Now you have grey on your nose.”

Raphael’s breath caught in his chest when Simon reached out to gently brush his thumb against the side of his nose to remove the colour, softly rubbing over his skin when it didn’t come off right away.

“You might actually be the weirdest person I’ve ever met and that’s saying something,” he muttered, staring at Simon’s still flushed face and the way he bit his lower lip - either in concentration or to keep himself from blurting out something else.

“I’ll just take that as a compliment,” the other boy decided, dropping his hand back to Raphael’s chin when he was satisfied with removing the colour and tilted his head back into a position that let him finish the rest if the flag.

“You should. It’s not a bad kind of weird, I guess,” Raphael replied, resisting the urge to follow his words up with a shrug that would only cause Simon to slip up with the brush again.

The atmosphere between them felt a little bit awkward now and Raphael wrecked his brain to come up with something to say, suddenly wanting to talk more to Simon and to get the other to keep on talking to him. Before he could come up with something, Simon was already finished and Magnus suddenly calling out the name of his boyfriend distracted both of them.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it before three,” Magnus beamed after jumping up from his spot on the blanket and almost running towards Alexander, wrapping his arms around the tall young man happily to press a loving kiss to his mouth.

“I thought so, too, but I said that I had an urgent appointment and had to leave early,” Alec shrugged with a little smirk, briefly lifting his boyfriend off the ground before examining Magnus’s face. “I can see they coaxed you into getting your face painted.”

“You know I love having my face painted, darling. There can never be enough colour or glitter for me,” Magnus chirped with a playful wink before his fingers travelled across the buttons of his lover’s shirt. “You’re not dressed up properly for the occasion, love.”

Alexander chuckled softly before curling his hand around Magnus’s, guiding it back to the top button. “Oh, but I am. Look for yourself.”

Raphael barely resisted the urge to groan because most of the time these two were unable to not make their conversations sound utterly sexual and it was a little cringe-worthy, to be honest. When Magnus happily started to undo his boyfriend’s buttons, though, another shirt was revealed underneath - it was black (as if Alec would ever wear anything more colourful than a dark grey) with the gay pride colours and the text _Closets are for Clothes_.

“I picked the shirt for him,” Isabelle pointed out with a proud grin while her thumb absently brushed over a sliver of skin that was revealed between Clary’s shorts and her top.

“It’s a perfect choice,” Magnus praised with a smile while he pushed the other shirt off his lover’s shoulders, not missing the chance to let his fingertips trail over Alexander’s upper arms in the process. “Now you only need a little more colour in your face and your outfit will be even more perfect.”

Alec willingly let himself get dragged towards the blankets and Clary immediately grabbed the palette with the face paint to draw with quick, skillful movements on both of Alexander’s cheeks.

“How much for the shirt, by the way?” Raphael remembered as he was watching his best friend’s lover getting his face painted, directing his gaze at Simon whose eyes were already on him for some reason.

“Usually ten but make it five, since you’re a friend,” Simon replied with an almost shy smile and Raphael resist the urge to complain and say that he could pay the full price because he had a feeling that the other boy would have none of that anyway.

“How about we have a look around and go grab something to eat for everyone while we’re at it?” Magnus suggested when his boyfriend was done as well, his gaze catching Raphael’s who merely shrugged.

“Sounds like a good plan, I’m starving,” Clary sighed and leant back against Izzy, tilting her head back in order to catch her girlfriend’s lips with her own while both of their mouths curved into gentle smiles. “We have to stay here, though, can’t abandon our business.”

“Don’t worry, biscuit, we’ll deliver you something to eat if you tell us what,” Magnus chuckled and curled his arms around Alec’s side when the young man had gotten to his feet again and in return slung his own arm around Magnus’s shoulders, tugging him just a tiny bit closer against his side.

“Hmm, I don’t even know what’s there to choose from,” the redhead mused before turning around to face Simon with an innocent smile, “hey, why don’t you go with? I’m sure a few more hands to carry food will be appreciated and you know what I like, you can pick something for me.”

Simon blinked at her, opened his mouth as if to protest but after a brief silent conversation between him and Clary, he shut his mouth again and nodded before scrambling to his feet. “Sure, why not. I feel like stretching my legs a little anyway.”

Before Raphael could voice that he would join them as well, mostly because he had come here with Magnus after all, a hand appeared in his field of view. He glanced up at a shyly grinning Simon and hesitated only for a stumbling heartbeat before he wrapped his fingers around the offered hand, allowing the other boy to pull him to his feet. Instead of letting go of his hand right after, Simon’s fingers tightened just a little bit and Raphael felt himself get pulled along, too distracted by his pulse kicking up a notch to notice the amused little smile on his best friend’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Is it very obvious that I love these silly pun shirts? I want one (｡•́︿•̀｡)
> 
> Also, I wrote a short Clizzy scene that's set before this story, if anyone wants to read that: _[Yes Homo](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11143926)_


End file.
